DAWN KENNEDY
Nature and travel writer.
Feature writing
Feature stories with words that paint pictures and convey the wonder of being alive on this beautiful earth.
Copy writing
Clear, compelling, and effective copy that gets newsletters read, emails opened, and keeps clients engaged.
Explore my writing
A passion for predators: Leopards at Bushmans Kloof
Dawn Kennedy takes a civilised walk with wild cats at Bushman\’s Kloof. A person diminishes amid the Cedarberg’s landscape of sedimentary rock, sandstone and shale. Jagged stones stand like ancient tombs, paying tribute to the glacier that scraped the exposed rock, 340 million years ago. Evidence of geological time immemorial makes one’s own personal biography a meaningless blip. Goal-setting, striving and daily drama seem absurd
Breaking the Ice – Lewis Pugh
From Camps Bay, via the Arctic to 10 Downingstreet, 021 maps Lewis Pugh’s journey form cold water swimmer to environmental activist. Meeting Lewis Gordon Pugh in person, it’s easy to fathom what drew him to the Arctic. His chiselled, cheek-boned, icemelting good looks cry out for a sleigh and a pack of huskies. His handshake, despite the wintry evening, is warm. But if you’ve swum
Hope on a Rope
Walking backward off a 1km-tall mountain is kind of counterintuitive, to say the least. But it’s what Gareth Gibson persuades people to do on a daily basis. Makes you wonder what he could achieve if he employed his demonic powers of persuasion for more practical purposes. I hadn’t thought much about abseiling, adopting the same kind of feet-first, brain-later approach that had characterised my life
Copywriter and content strategist
Engaging, effective copy for clients in travel and nature-friendly industries
I craft community-building newsletters, emails that get results, and case studies that persuade.
By researching and clearly defining your audience, I write in a language they respect.
No dull words, no drab sentences. Only clear, confident, and stylish writing that attracts interest, builds trust, and establishes credibility.
Writing coach and mentor
I coach and mentor people, aged 18 upwards, who want to improve their writing.
I believe two seemingly contradictory things, namely that everyone can write, and that good writing is a craft that can be taught and requires diligent practice to improve.
Few people would expect to pick up a paintbrush and paint a masterpiece. In the same way, aspiring writers need guidance to improve their writing.
As the senior lecturer in journalism and creative writing at City Varsity, I trained aspiring writers, as well as encouraging adult learners through my popular classes in creative and feature writing. I published the book Writing Features: For Websites and Magazines based on the course content.
Occasionally, I help develop books by coaching people through the writing process and editing the final manuscript.
Do you want a successful writing career?
While there is no exact formula for writing features, an experienced mentor can save you time and help make your efforts successful.
Writing Features is an inspiring guide that will teach you all that you need to know to write professional articles for newspapers, magazines and websites.
About me
I’m a soulful, nature-loving writer who loves cold water swimming.
Born and raised in rural Northern Ireland, I live in the colourful village of Kalk Bay, Cape Town, with the ocean a stone’s throw from my front door.
A graduate of Bristol University, with a BA (Hons) in English and Philosophy, my life has combined a love of adventure, a quest for beauty, and a passion for writing. In my twenties, I travelled solo, for three years, through Australia and Asia before moving to Cape town, where I raised my two children.
Decades later, I’m still trying to write better sentences, still exploring what it means to be free, and still taking longer to get anywhere than most people. Currently, I’m inching along Cape Town’s Southern Peninsula while completing an MA in nature and travel writing at Bath Spa University and sharing my awe for South Africa’s inspiring landscapes and people with UK readers.